It depends what you want. We are staying somewhere, very central, but slightly quieter, Roucas Blanc for the first week in Marseille. I would not stay near the ground - dull. I know people that are staying in Le Panier, and have heard good things. The Vieux Port is obviously the tourist heart of Marseille, if that's what you want - absolutely not my cup of tea. The Cours Julien is a hip area, with bars and cafes. There are little villages and bays near the sea, we are staying in one for the second week in Marseille, that look amazing. The Northern suburbs have a bad reputation. Bottom line. There are people who love Marseille, and there are people who hate it. I am in the former camp. But I am going to be very careful around the England Russia game, and will avoid the VP at all costs.
Exactly why I made sure I was in Marseille the night before the Russia game to kick things off this summer Can't wait!
Ken and Co, Six of us Canucks are staying in a big flat by the water, overlooking the VP. Hope it's not as chaotic (dangerous) as I'm reading here but the proximity to the historic port and great restos was too good to pass up. Hoping it's just a victim of a bad reputation as Anthony Bourdain's noted: We're there for the QF and looking to celebrate Canada Day on July 1 - hope to share a pint with many of you. Yaron
Wondering if anybody here would have any idea .... If there's a 18:00 match at Stade Velodrome , would it be possible to catch the 20:31 train at the Saint Charles station if one was to leave immediately at the end of the match?
No experience, but IMO that's a bit tight. If the match starts on time and no stoppage time, you are out at 19:45 allowing you to have 45 minutes before the train leaves. Factor in stoppage time, the game starting 2-3 minutes late, and the time just to get out of the stadium and you're probably looking at just over 10 extra minutes. Technically if you catch a bus right away or a taxi, you should make it, but that's without knowing how traffic will look like and basically everybody else looking to leave the same way.
Yeah this is a weird one.... I am staying in Nice from the 19th to 23rd and was going to do a day trip to Marseille for the UKR-POL match on 6/21 and get back to Nice after the match on the same day. I looked on DB Bahn a while ago and it says the last train out back to Nice was 21:45, so I figured I was OK... but now when I try to book there is no such train. I went back to DB Bahn and clicked around and still saw a 21:45 train, but when I click around for further details it says that this train is not available on 6/18 or 6/21 for some reason.... .. at this point I think we are just going to find a cheap airbnb for the night and just take the train back first thing in the morning... I dont think there will be any special trains added at this point. Dont know if there are that many people who will be going back to Nice immediately after that match.
I'm only having a fleeting visit to Marseille on 18th for Iceland Hungary game. The plan is in and out same day hopefully by train from lyon. Fingers xed everything goes to plan
DB's Bahn.de site is brilliant though, and covers the whole of Europe. For booking you'd always want the SNCF site though, obviously, especially for checking TGVs, as they require reservations and might be sold out.
Yeah I was just using Bahn as a reference before the 90 day window in which tickets go on sale in order to get an idea of departure times so that I can set up my itinerary... I use SNCF to do the actual bookings.
You guys are making me doubt myself - is Marseille that bad (I have an Airbnb reservation by Vieux Port)? If so, do you guys recommend cutting my trip there short? I'm now considering Lyon 3 days, Marseille 3 days (QF), Paris 6 (QF) days.
I think the only real concern is Vieux Port's "bar central" for the Russia v England game, where trouble is most likely, and the policing most likely to be heavy handed. Marseille seems to have more than enough bars etc to allow you to avoid that small part of the city for that fixture, and still have a good night out.
I recall similar scares before Brazil. We were told Rio would be hell, a mix of violent thugs, trigger-happy police and football hooligans ready to rumble. Ended up staying right in Copa and witnessed none of this. There were the occasional wallet-snatchers and the odd Argentinians rabble rousers, but for the most part, it was a phenomenal atmosphere. Hoping for more of the same in Marseille. Of all my French stops this one has me most excited, from a food and cultural standpoint. Here's hoping for the best!
Fanzone is on the beach as far as i know. What can go wrong? Eat a Bouillabaisse and have a beer..or five. Providing security holds up,should be a blast in Marseille.
I wasn't there in 98, I was in the ground, but met guys who were. The thing that they got wrong was glass bottles. Basically ammunition. People up in the seats raining glassmageddon down on to the beach. Saw lots of people who were badly injured on the train home. As I have said before England fans have changed a lot, but they are used to being dealt with by the British police, who are totally different to the CRS, who hit first, second, third. Default position. I will be well away from the VP and the beach for the England game, enjoying a beer, the early summer weather, a great view, and some of the best food in France. If you want to risk a broken nose, six stitches, tear gassing from the CRS, be my guest. But I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt and am not interested in a reprise. Will save the VP for France Albania, or a non football night.
I'll be right along you there my man ensuring the girls get to enjoy the night without dodging a gassing
Hi all We are staying in Le Panier for a month from 10 June. 4 games in Marseilles, a couple in Nice and one in Lyon. Can't wait. We expect to arrive as Premier League champions and will probably not stop talking about it!
Trying to sort out travel to Nice on 12 for the Northern Ireland game. Can't find a train to bring us back. Anyone got any ideas?